This workshop is perfect for all skill levels from beginner to experienced. Projects will be adapted to match individual skill levels and were chosen for their beauty and variety of techniques not typically offered.

​ Caged Pendant & Handmade Chain ​

​This gorgeous statement piece is worth the time required to fabricate it! Learn to problem-solve while constructing a 3 dimensional wire cage that will capture a beautiful rough-cut fluorite cube or bring a keepsake treasure of your own.

​We'll get creative with chain making by utilizing mandrels of different sizes and shapes for the individual links. We will build a second smaller accent cage to include in your chain. All of this repetition will help you master your pick soldering torch handling and to read your metal!

Geometric or Abstract Ring or Pendant

Choose to make either a ring or pendant with the option of including a small bezel-set stone. This project will have you mastering the fine art of pick soldering with precision along with learning to bezel set on uneven surfaces and ring shank fabrication.

Get creative with your own wire designs or use the samples as inspiration. You'll construct your piece with two different gauges of wire and have the option to mix metals again or just use sterling silver.

Learn to use different types of soldering supports like "T" pins to keep tricky bits of wire from moving around and how to attach bails or ring bands to objects that are not just flat solid sheet. This project will also teach you about precision filing and measuring and how important it is to take the proper time to set up a soldering project so it looks beautifully balanced.

Free Form Cuff

Building a cuff from wire can seem deceptively simple. This project will open new doors for your future pieces.

You'll begin by working to develop your fabrication skills which will lead to your creating a structurally strong yet beautifully designed cuff.

Conquer all the challenges of evenly heating and soldering such a large open piece while using two different gauges of wire.

Next you'll learn how to solder a freeform bezel as a focal point to this stunning piece. You can then continue to challenge yourself by learning how to add silver balls and nestle them in and around all of these suspended wires.

​ H​​o​llow Pendant

​​This stunning hollow pendant will build on what you've already learned. The main challenges are how to determine the sequence of soldering steps necessary to work with enclosed objects on pieces that don't just lay flat. You'll also become proficient at balancing your heat and directing your solder flow with your flame. Constructing a 3 dimensional piece will demonstrate that anything is possible if you know how to break the project into small steps while making use of the proper supports.

​You'll also learn how to use binding wire in your projects and construct a bail with rectangle wire and tubing. Kelly will also cover a varitety of approaches for beautifully texturing your silver. ​

Shield Style Ring In Mixed Metals

​​This ring will build your skills and confidence as the challenge is to sweat solder two large pieces of different metals together.​You'll begin with how to map and saw out a shield style ring of your own design (or use instructor's template.) Then we'll dive into learning about the different types of metals and solders available and how they react with each other.​You'll have the option to embellish with a stone and bezel as well as learn the right way to make and solder on round accent balls. No matter which design you choose to make everyone will want to know how you made that!

​​5 Days Dates:Thursday March 28 - Monday April 1, 2019​​​Level:Beginner to Intermediate*Projects will be adapted and made more challenging for those with experience.Max 12 students only ​​Tuition:$745.00 + 5% tax (Deposit reserves your space)+Material fee: $200.00 Paid to instructor at workshop includes all your metals and stones for the week and use of all tools. Nothing to bring.Hours: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm dailyLocation: Nanaimo, BC. TBA​March 28 - April 1, 2019 is full. New dates added - March 16 - 20, 2019 Register below

All humans have a relationship with nature, whether it be through summiting mountains, beach combing, or watching the sky change from your own backyard.

How can we capture that energy and express those fleeting feelings of exhilaration, nostalgia, or serenity that personify our unique relationship with the landscape? ​​

This workshop explores abstraction, colour and mark through the lens of landscape painting. We will highlight the importance of process in working to truly capture the energy and essence of a particular place. You will use your own images for inspiration, deepening the connection between artist and artwork.

​The first half of our week will be spent thoroughly investigating mark-making and the importance of colour. We'll work with texture and gesture and with tools not traditionaly used for painting; all of which will add mystery, depth and dimension to your work. A combination of photographs and nature inspired still life will act as our input for abstraction.

​​​ ​You'll execute numerous colour exercises to learn the essentials then begin to build and explore unconventional palettes, and create several mini-painting series. You will work quickly and gain the confidence to make informed choices. This sequence of exercises is guaranteed to induce abstraction into your work.

The latter half of our week will have you focused on painting two larger, more involved paintings. ​​ You'll receive ample individual attention and guidance from Amanda. She will provide quick, informal critiques and all of her exercises are led by demonstration.

​Art historical references will be peppered into the class. We will closely examine the work of Richard Diebenkorn, Raimonds Staprans, Helen Frankenthaler, Henri Matisse, and Wayne Thiebaud amongst many diverse historical and contemporary landscape painters.

​When choosing an artist for our mentoring workshop we knew we wanted to bring you the best of the best. A practicing artist who has attained real commercial success, one with an exhaustive set of credentials and accomplishments too long to list and of course, glowing testimonials.

And that is just what we've done. We are thrilled to announce that Katherine Chang Liu will be delivering her much sought after "Open Studio" mentoring program exclusively for us, here in Canada!

​This workshop is for you if you feel you have aquired enough technique and are now ready to develop your own style along with more personal intent in your work. Join us and learn how to express that idea in your own way with your own voice.

Working with Katherine will help you understand and clarify your strengths and ideas, A key component of Katherine's approach is to teach by private evaluation. She meets with each artist for a private one-on-one critque which enables her to become attuned to your unique and individual form of self-expression. ​ Her approach is to give helpful, honest feedback and suggestions but she is not critical.

Katherine will also present many insightful power point lectures on a diverse range of artists, each with unique voices of their own. These presentations often touch on many forms of visual language as it pertains to contemporary art and are not limited only to painting. ​This workshop is not limited to painters. It is open to assemblage artists, sculptors with fabrics, collage artists, photography and more. In all of Katherine's workshops, you will see both 2D and 3D artists, from abstraction to photorealism. ​Katherine has her finger on the pulse of contemporary art developments so the opportunities for her assistance are wide and varied. If you have sewn before, you may want to know if and how sewing can be a component of your art or if you are a photographer perhaps you are wanting to make more personal and contemporary photography.

A testiment to just how popular Katherine's workshops are is that hundreds of her students have repeatedly taken her workshops.

In fact, her critiques are one of the primary reasons most have sought her guidance and encouragement for more than 10 years in a row!​Katherine ends the workshop with a stimulating and informative group critique session that benefits everyone.

Join us and explore your potential while being both supported and challenged. Katherine believes every artist can succeed by understanding her/his own natural artistic strength while also developing a committed idea to work on. She has had the pleasure of working with many artists to accomplish just that. She follows these artists from year to year, and many have reached their goals: to be established artists in their own communities, to be art instructors, or jurors of exhibits, or winners of awards.

Once registered you will have the opportunity to return annually before registration is opened to the rest of our email list which allows Katherine to help you with your follow through.​​

There will be no demonstrations or supply list sent for this workshop. Bring what you are working in or wish to focus on. We do not have the facilities for all mediums, for example pottery, so please email me before registering if in doubt.

Is this workshop for me? Katherine says " I consider the intermediate to advanced artist as someone who feels that they have already learned the "how's" and are now really looking to discover and define their own identity as an artist.

Katherine Chang Liu received her MS degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission of Arts and Humanities.Liu had 43 solo exhibitions; at colleges, museums and galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Fe (New Mexico), Long Island (NY); as well as galleries in Copenhagen (Denmark), Lyon (France), Rome (Italy), Turku (Finland), Hong Kong and Taiwan.In the early part of her career, Liu was more active in competitive exhibits, winning 45 awards. She has since been invited to serve as juror or co-juror for over 60 national, regional and state-wide art competitions, including the 2018 Wisconsin Biennial at the Museum of Wisconsin Art.The Watercolor USA Honor Society honored her with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, she is one of few woman painters who received that honor.Katherine Chang Liu has exhibited in over 100 invitational exhibits, and was included in the Chicago Navy Pier Show, Art Miami, Art Paris, Art Copenhagen, Art Santa Fe, and the Los Angeles Art Show.In recent years she also exhibited in international invitationals in Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Singapore.Her work has been featured in 104 magazine and newspaper articles, as well as 40 books.Public collections include the Virginia Museum; the Chrysler Museum of Art (VA); Palm Springs Desert Museum (CA); Western VA Museum (VA); Hickory Art Museum (NC); State Collection of Baja; the Art Association of Aga, Finland; Musée de la Communication, Bern, Switzerland; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Lyon, France; and Macau City Museum of Art (Macau).Her work is also included in the collection of US Department of State; Utah State University Harrison Museum; Georgetown University; Center for Employment Law; Virginia Tech University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

5 Days Mediums: Many. Assume some oil paint but very large workshop space​Level: Intermediate to advancedKatherine describes the intermediate to advanced artist as someone who feels that they have already learned the "how's" and are now looking to discover and define their own identity as an artist.​Dates:Saturday April 27 - WednesdayMay 1, 2019Tuition: $995.00 + 5% tax (Deposit $500.00 reserves your space or contact us for payment plan)Hours:10:00 - 5:00 daily. With extended studio paint hours until 8 PMLocation: Saanich Fairgrounds Hall (20 minutes from downtown Victoria) Click here for map​

We are proud to present this masterclass workshop featuring San Francisco artist Michael Shemchuk in which he will share his contemporary approach to abstract painting.

​The guiding principle we'll use throughout the week is Abstraction By Design. This will include the use of texture, color choice, color mixing, value, surface manipulation, deconstruction, placement, and visual balance. Positive and negative space will play a key role.

Having practiced Shem's techniques in previous workshops you will now be able to dive more deeply into the process and all its rewards.

Shem will assist you individually with formulating your approach and will provide you with instruction, critique, discussion and execution of your ideas and direction. ​​​

​Some of the highlights in this workshop include:*Only 14 artists​*5 + days*Plenty of one-on-one time with Shem. *Most varnish, glue, paint, tissue, newsprint, tints included*Potential to complete 8 finished paintings!!!*Fabulous catered social & dinner one evening from the renowned "Toque" catering company*Open studio paint hours until 10 PM each evening*3 tables each in very large venue*Complimentary use of easel if desired*Discounts on cradled panels and materials

It may be colour that inspires you, or texture, a 50's graphic, a photograph you have taken or even an old wall. Whatever the source, the main goal will be for your to bring more of your own aesthetic and design choices into your work and to understand the importance of making these choices before beginning any work on your panels.​​

In-depth colour mixing will play an important role this week as you learn to expand your colour palette while maintaining colour harmony. You will also learn to develop a more painterly approach that will result in richer and more complex finished surfaces. It is here that the depth and beauty of your art work really comes to life. ​​​Your choice of colour and collage materials that you will bring to the workshop will determine the outcome of your pieces. Everything you do during our week together will be more thoughtfully considered before it is executed.​

​​Panel sizes and quantities for the week:​Two 48” X 48” cradled wood panelsThe larger the panel the more challenging it is to resolve the composition.​But the reward is so worth the struggle! Six 16" x 16" cradled wood panelsThis suite of panels can be orientated horizontally, vertically or stacked. Making them work cohesively in a number of these configurations is the challenge.

Note: Our goal is to fill the workshop with artists who have attended a past workshop with Shem but we will only register experienced artists regardless. No beginners.

​Shemchuk is represented by several fine art galleries and shows his work internationally. His mixed media abstractions combine the use of color, line, textures and composition that result in a pictorially designed space that is layered with both visual meaning and an undeniable intentionality. See more of his work atwww.mshem.com

2019 ART WORKSHOPS ARE BEING LISTED. CHECK BACK SOON!

Would you like to paint better than you ever have before?​This workshop is open to anyone in any medium* who wants to take their work deeper, further, faster.

David will share his 30+ years of extensive study and knowledge; distilled for you and served up with the encouragement to fearlessly take risks.

​​The secret is that it's the ABSTRACT STRUCTURE that makes a painting a good painting, regardless of style or genre. This structure is based on universal principles of design, composition and visual communication which apply to any style. Captivating your viewers is accomplished through the skillful use of line, space, value, color, and texture.

David will demonstrate how the master's paintings throughout art history were built on an abstract structure even when the finished painting was representational. At a primal level, abstract structure is what moves the viewer, whether it's Degas, Diebenkorn, Rembrandt, Mitchell, Cassatt, or you.

​Over the course of our five days together, you will examine the principles of line structure, value structure and colour structure.

Just some of the many topics we'll cover:

How to create image structure

How to design a color structure

How to improve any painting instantly

How to critique any style of painting

The 3 subjects in every good painting

How to find a gallery

How to tell your story to the right audience

Website mistakes to avoid

​There will be power point presentations, numerous exercises to isolate the key principles, discussions and demonstrations. There'll be individual painting time at your easels with personalized one-on-one instruction, encouragement. critique and feedback. Each day will end with a group critique and recap of what we covered that day.

David's demos are not step-by-step "how to paint a finished painting". Instead, he demonstrates a mindset, an attitude of exploration, and risk-taking to help youbecome the best version of yourself as an artist. You'll paint lots during this workshop as that is the best way to good paintings. It will be inspiring and fun, with an upbeat atmosphere and you'll go home ready to create your best work yet!

Everyone will receive printed handouts on the workshop content so you'll have a permanent record of everything covered. We'll steal from the masters, laugh a lot and eat a little chocolate. Because chocolate.

ROBERT BURRIDGELOOSEN UP WATERMEDIA WORKSHOPIT'S LIKE 4 YEARS OF ART SCHOOL!Monday September 30-Friday October 4, 2019​Victoria, BC

​This flagship Burridge workshop offers an amazing variety of painting subjects for everyone! Designed for the professional painter who is stuck in a style as well as for the novice who wants to conquer their fear and dive right in.

​Burridge's popular "Loosen Up" workshops nurture individual success and personal enrichment with a big emphasis on daily painting projects at your own pace. It is stress-free, but be warned; you could end up with too much enthusiasm for painting.

​Starting each day with multiple small "warm-up painting exercises" and building up to larger-format paintings, Burridge's positive approach towards the act of painting will inspire you to loosen up, have more fun and paint more!​Expect an intense, concentrated and lively workshop where you will create many works of art using spontaneity for maximum effect.

This workshop has become a must for artists who want the confidence and permission to paint the way they have always wanted to paint.

​Students will take home numerous handouts of useful and need-to-know information. Burridge's newest color combination technique is also demonstrated. A positive attitude is a must!

We’ll paint ethereal landscapes, trees, chickens, florals, fruit and more! This workshop will be a blast! For a sneak peek of what you're in for, click on the video links below.

​Back by popular demand, join Toronto artist and instructor Sheila Davis and discover the unparalleled beauty of expressive landscape painting. ​​You'll paint large this week, up to 36" x 36" or 30" X 40" maximum and can expect to complete 2 or 3 paintings over the course of the workshop.

​Gain the confidence to lay down colour using strong brushwork full of vitality and strength. Develop your subject matter to get your point of interest across without losing spontaneity and freshness.​Push yourself to think in the abstract while keeping recognizable form and shape in your work.

​You will learn to edit and simplify your subject defining your composition and values along the way. Understand how to see colour, value and temperature and learn push it to its limits or tone it down.

​The first morning begins with a brief chat about muse then we will all paint from the same photograph of a BC landscape. (If you're experienced you may use your own image.) Sheila will paint in stages allowing you plenty of working time between.​Sheila will begin by demonstrating her approach to her value sketch followed by blocking in colour and working up the image. There'll be plenty time for Sheila to check in repeatedly with each artist as she progresses.

​Next, it's all about finessing values, colours and details, adding those little marks that will really make your paintings sing!

​For your subsequent painting/s you may follow along again using another image that Sheila will provide or use your own photographs. Either way, we'll work on images with different elements to avoid repetition. ​We'll finish our week with a short talk about varnishing, storing and presenting your work. If time permits we'll do a class critique and/or have a discussion on professional business practices promotion and social media.​​​This workshop is designed to give artists the confidence to loosen up and make strong clean brushstrokes, no matter what subject you work in. ​

Below is an example of Sheila's photo reference along with her beautifully completed painting.

Sheila's reference photograph

Completed painting from photograph

An elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and the Ontario Society of Artists. Sheila’s work has been featured on HGTV television and included in private and corporate collections around the world. She is represented by more than eight galleries throughout Canada.Sheila is the author of the comprehensive book, “Beyond the Easel - Professional Development for Visual Artists” and has given many workshops on this topic. This book is perfect for any artist wanting to take their art to a higher level.www.sheiladavis.cawww.beyondtheeasel.com